Chilean cult leader accused of killing baby found dead in Peru

LIMA A Chilean cult leader who allegedly burned a newborn baby alive to stave off apocalypse before fleeing to Peru was found dead on Wednesday in an apparent suicide, authorities told local media.

Ramon Castillo, the 36-year-old leader of a doomsday sect, was accused of throwing a three-day-old baby girl - possibly his daughter - into a bonfire in Chile in November because he believed she was the Antichrist, according to regional media.

Castillo's body was discovered in an abandoned house in the historic city of Cusco, a popular tourist destination near the Incan ruins of Machu Picchu in southern Peru, Peruvian authorities told reporters. The police believe he hanged himself.

The baby's mother and other cult members have been arrested, Chilean news reports said.

(Reporting By Mitra Taj; Editing by Eric Walsh)

Trending On Reuters

An Indian pop group has made a music video honouring a freedom fighter who assassinated a British official in revenge for a 1919 massacre, at a time of renewed calls in India for reparations from Britain for the excesses of colonial rule. Full Article